‘Limited options’ for many Iranians as war with US chokes economy

Millions of Iranians struggle to make ends meet as months-long war with the US devastates the economy and sends prices soaring. Tehran, Iran – A Tehran resident named Saeed says he is dismayed as he looks for better-paying employment than his current elementary school teaching job after months of war with the United States and its naval blockade of Iranian ports. “You take one look at the condition of job postings you can find online or in person, and you will understand why some young people feel like it’s not even worth it going out for work,” the 26-year-old told Al Jazeera. “But the expenses don’t go away.” People working as teachers, cashiers and salespeople earn a monthly salary of less than 200 million rials ($107 at the current exchange rate), and some jobs even go considerably below the basic monthly minimum wage of about 166 million rials ($88), he said. “A lot of employers don’t offer insurance and are asking for 12 hours of work per day, sometimes six days a week. Business at the shop is terribly slow.

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